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(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)
On the September 3 primary ballot, Democrats will nominate their candidates for Congress and State offices including the contested State House race in the 27th Middlesex District in Somerville between incumbent Erika Uyterhoeven and challenger Kathleen Hornby. Last week, the elected members of the Somerville Democratic City Committee “SDCC” voted overwhelmingly to endorse incumbents Sen. Warren, Rep. Pressley, state Sen. Jehlen, and state Reps. Connolly and Barber along with first-time candidate for state rep. Kathleen Hornby. Erika Uyterhoeven’s subsequent public comments calling duly elected members of the SDCC “out of step with the clear progressive values of this district” is yet another example of Erika Uyterhoeven’s tactics that are hurting the progressive movement in Somerville and beyond.
Somerville is one of the most progressive communities in our country placing our politics to the le] of the Democratic Party in Massachusetts and nationwide. The only way for Somerville’s elected officials to pass progressive legislation into law is by building coalitions and doing the hard, oftentimes uncelebrated, work of amending legislation, passing bills, and securing much-needed funding for our local communities. Erika Uyterhoeven’s lackluster record of achievement in the State House falls well short of Somerville’s aspirations for legislative progress including ZERO bills passed in four years, ZERO amendments submitted for FY2025, and less than $100K in district appropriations over her four years in office (a mere fraction of Erika’s State House salary).
By any standard, Erika underperforms nearly every other elected Democratic representative in Somerville and statewide, and this weighed heavily on the minds of the elected members of the SDCC who voted for much needed change, endorsing Kathleen Hornby for State Rep instead. It is simply not enough to use progressive slogans and support progressive activism which both Erika and Kathleen clearly do, we need State representatives who will do the hard work to pass progressive ideals into law. Kathleen Hornby will do the hard policy work and has a track record of success as a State House employee, helping to secure hundreds of thousands of dollars in aid annually in FY2022-FY2024 for programs serving Somerville including Food for Free.
The elected members of the SDCC volunteer their time, without pay, to support Democrats and progressive causes. Only elected months ago on the March presidential primary ballot, the current SDCC is more diverse than ever and has already mobilized hundreds of volunteers to elect Kamala Harris our next President. Our current SDCC puts the progressive values of Somerville into action. Erika’s attack on the SDCC’s progressive credentials is tone-deaf at best, but unfortunately, it’s a familiar tactic Erika has employed against her State House colleagues and Party leaders. Erika Uyterhoeven’s alienation of Democratic constituencies and lackluster legislative record show she’s just not motivated to do the hard work of building coalitions and passing legislation: Erika Uyterhoeven’s approach to progressivism is not working.
Somerville’s hopes for legislative progress are on the September 3 ballot: it’s time for much-needed change by electing Kathleen Hornby for State Rep.
Respectfully Submitted,
Justin Klekota
Somerville, MA
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It kinda astonishes me how much some people in local SDCC politics — particularly those who would be called “progressive Republicans” if they lived in Vermont or Maine — are solid members of the “anti-Erika Uyterhoven” campaign. Astonishes me because they have gone to such great length to pretend Erika isn’t effective, and they somehow echo the original campaign notes of Erika’s first rival for the seat… Someone who ran on a very Whyte “she isn’t from here” one-note campaign.
Justin Klekota should sit and have a think about the ways in which his own tactics and bs have hurt Somerville, particularly the trans activists in Somerville.
Lots of Somerville Democrats disagree. More than 40 Somerville Democrats have signed a letter in support of Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven for state rep.
https://rand-wilson.medium.com/somerville-democrats-support-erika-uyterhoeven-ab60394fb1ee
Crysta, you have just proven my point. Not a single member of the SDCC is a Republican: they are all Democrats. Furthermore, I’m a member of the LGBTQIA+ community and have volunteered my time to defend our community for decades going back to the marriage equality push and use the same language as our legal community to defend LGBTQIA+ rights. Whenever anyone questions Erika’s publicly verifiable record or her campaign’s tactics, Erika and her supporters attack their critics identity as progressive Democrats: this does nothing to promote progressivism and Erika’s failure to pass any single piece of legislation into law in four years is proof her approach is not working. Somerville deserves better.
Rand,
You should be ashamed of yourself: your fellow SDCC members called for a debate — you were a moderator. They called for an endorsement vote — it was public and took place across a whole week and you got to vote. SDCC members votes are public. But instead of accepting the results of the vote, you’re throwing a tantrum just like Donald Trump in 2020. It’s one thing to disagree with a group vote/endorsement and say, “ok, I will still vote for my candidate and I won’t help the endorsed candidate” but it’s a whole nother thing to decide to try to invalidate the groups vote and dismiss your neighbors votes.
Crysta: Erika may be an effective advocate, but she hasn’t found her footing at the State House. She hasn’t been an effective legislator. She hasn’t had a single bill proposed and passed in four years. Why should she get to stay in that seat when another viable choice is there?
Maybe I missed something, but it doesn’t sound like anyone is trying to overturn or invalidate the SDCC’s endorsement, just a group of Democrats expressing their opinion that they disagree with the result.
Are the voting results published somewhere? I would be interested to see how the various committee members voted, if these results are public.
Tantrum? No.
Just a letter signed by many prominent Somerville Democrats politely taking issue with the SDCC endorsement and making the case that Erika is an effective champion for Somerville.
Did you know that our 27tth Middlesex State Rep has a history of bucking the system? It started with Pat Jehlen, now our State Senator. When Pat became a Senator, she was succeeded by Denise Provost.
Denise talked about how she was treated by House leadership, because she felt it necessary to speak truth to power.
Denise sponsored and worked for many progressive causes. She also was outspoken about the flaws in House leadership.
For instance, Denise authored a proposal to allow cities and towns to lower the state imposed 35 miles per hour speed limit on city streets. She was the first to propose it. She fought for it. But when it was finally adopted, the legislation did not have her name on it.
Why?
The House leadership did not want her to get any credit. Just one example of many.
This is what Rep Uyterhoeven is up against. Pro-leadership forces who find her truth telling painful have combined to remove this political thorn from their posterior. Katheryn Hornby is their standard bearer.
I, for one, know that we need Erika’s honest voice and courage. I urge you to cast your Democratic Primary vote for Rep. Uyterhoeven.
That primary election is Tuesday, September 3, the day after Labor Day. Whoever wins on that day will go on to the final in November but there is no Republican candidate, so the winner on September 3 will be our state representative. Vote on September 3 if you want your vote to count.
Michael Grunko, Treasurer Somerville Democratic City Committee.
To Mike Grunko..I thght you were a very well informed activist – but to say that Kathleen Hornby is the leadership’s “standard bearer” indicates you are just spouting rhetoric…that is so far removed from the truth it’s embarrassing to hear someone like you say something that is such hogwash. Ask around on Beacon Hill, Mike….ask Kathleen!
Hornby’s candidacy evokes Caligula’s appointment of his horse as Consul. And your mendacity, Justin, gives opportunism a bad name.
The Massachusetts Legislature has 200 members and the vast majority have gotten ZERO bills passed in the last four years, and probably in the last decade. This is because, as everyone from The Boston Globe to Progressive Mass have pointed out, our legislature is one of the country’s least efficient, least productive, and most top-heavy in terms of power. Advocates like me are regularly told it can take about 10 years to get a bill passed.
As of July 29, 227 bills had been signed into law this session, or about 6% of those introduced. A staggering 203 were about one person (such as the establishment of a sick leave bank), one city or town (because legislative approval is required for many things municipalities can’t implement on their own, like whether to ban a type of rat poison that kills eagles, hawks, and owls), or a combination of several towns. A few bills passed in the last hours of the session set important new policies, such as updating laws about parentage to reflect the diversity of today’s families. (See links below.)
What else can state reps and senators do in the face of these odds? All legislators have the authority to visit people in prison and jail, and Rep. Uyterhoeven is one of the minority who regularly does this so that she can understand and advocate for the basic needs and rights of people who are incarcerated. She was instrumental in arranging for people in the state prison system to testify at hearings about bills that directly affect them and their families, leveraging the new practice of hybrid hearings to increase participation in the legislative process.
Rep. Uyterhoeven has also supported striking workers by walking with them on picket lines. She lends support and visibility to important groups and causes.
There are many reasons to vote for or against someone, but not getting a bill passed in the Legislature is hardly one of them.
P.S. You can copy and paste the text below into a search engine if the links don’t work.
https://malegislature.gov/Laws/SessionLaws/Acts/2023
https://malegislature.gov/Laws/SessionLaws/Acts/2024